Wednesday, August 11, 2004

What jerk would go ahead and change a petition question?

A petition was circulated. People signed it knowing that what they signed would HOPEFULLY be put upon the ballot in November.

Only a complete jerk who was trying to submarine the democratic process would CHANGE the ballot question.

Now the Mayor's office has grounds to fight to get the ballot question removed from the ballot. The question isn't the same. People didn't sign for something else.

Furthermore, any group that goes to the effort of putting a petition drive together should have a well crafted, meaningful question to propose to the citizens and to the voters. They must have their reasons, right?

I really think we need to have MUCH MORE ACCOUNTABILITY as to WHO were the ones to change the question as it headed to the ballot. Names, offices, phone numbers.

"The (county) election department counted the signatures when the petition was filed and they appeared to be OK," said Al Opsitnick of the Allegheny County law department. "But we rephrased the question because it was not clear that the Home Rule Charter would be amended."

In court papers filed by the city, officials argue that the "county does not have the power to cure a fatal flaw in the question presented to the electorate for signature."